What does the adoption system look like today?

Today’s modern adoption system is vastly different than the stereotype that most Americans have in their heads about adoption. First of all, most adoptions—the standard adoptions today—are open adoptions, meaning that the birth mother usually plays some role in selecting the adoptive family and she maintains contact with the adoptive family and with the child throughout the child’s life. Another difference is that the pop culture stereotypes about teen moms are no longer the norm, so "Juno" and “Teen Mom” actually don’t represent the majority of women who place their children for adoption. Most women who do so are unmarried women in their 20s, not teens. In addition, the adoption system is becoming more diverse while women who place their children for adoption tend to be white. Many women who place for adoption are more diverse than in the past as well as are the adoptive families.

Are efforts to promote adoption an effective way to reduce the abortion rate?

Not really. People tend to think that if we promote adoption, that will decrease the rate of abortion. But actually abortion and adoption rates have fallen in tandem while births to unwed mothers have risen, so actually it is the lessening of stigma about single motherhood that has led to lower adoption rates, and not because of greater access to abortion. In fact the numbers on this are quite stark. Of the 3 million or so unintended pregnancies every year, about 1.4 million women choose to keep the child and raise it themselves. Another 1.2 million women decide to have an abortion. In contrast, only 14,000 women every year decide to place an infant for adoption in the United States. So even with vast changes to our culture, and improvements in the adoption system, it is unlikely that adoption rates will ever return to a frequency that would really make a meaningful dent in the abortion rate. More effective approaches to reducing the abortion rate involve improving access to contraception and medically accurate sex education. With that said, there is still much we can do that is worthwhile to improve our adoption system for pregnant women who want to consider that option.

What can Congress and the states do to support pregnant women who consider or choose adoption?

Women facing an unintended pregnancy deserve to know all their options, and that includes adoption. So they need access to nondirective, unbiased counseling, as well as an independent attorney. Government also should punish any adoption agencies, maternity homes, or crisis pregnancy centers that engage in deceptive practices or try to coerce women into choosing adoption. There also should be more consistent waiting periods in the states. Each state has its own set of laws so there need to be more consistent laws that give women time to make the decision about whether to place a child for adoption and also give them time to change their mind for any reason within a reasonable amount of time. And finally, there can be better supports for open adoption agreements, better postadoption counseling services, and more information about why some women choose adoption and others do not. As always, more information will lead to better policies for all involved.